DEFINITION: Per capita tax burden in US dollars, does not include local and federal tax. The data in this statistic is a survey of state government tax collection.

SOURCE: US Census Bureau, 2004

Clark 24th August 2011

It would be halpful to see the basis of the calulation, the rankings mean nothing if you don't know what went into the calulations. It would make the site much more useful if there was a way to drill down into the calulation to see what was actualy being measured.

kit9th February 2011

These statistics make sense only when you calculate the tax rate as a percentage of a state's average personal income. It's not the raw figure that matters, but how much of a bite out of your income the tax consumes. States with low personal income typically also have lower taxes, but those lower taxes are -- in some cases -- a higher burden on the people than in high personal income states.

In TX4th January 2011

There's a pretty good correlation between least taxed and most unemployed. That makes sense to me. If you don't have income, you aren't paying income tax.

what a joke22nd December 2010

People in NY pay way more in taxes than people in most southern states. comparing apples and oranges

John in WY14th December 2010

The same misleading statistic that was pointed out for Alaska exists in Wyoming. In Wyoming there is no state income tax, the property taxes are among the lowest in the nation, and the sales tax is relatively low. The tax revenues are derived from coal, oil, gas, minerals, and not extorted from the citizenry like in #3 - Connecticut which should technically be #1.

Jake5th November 2010

This list seems out of line somehow.

Wages are high in Hawaii as are property prices. So having it lead the list is not so strange. But Texas below Alaska certainly is.

Drew4th November 2010

Any newer statistics avaialable? This information is based 0on 2004 figures.

Ed in Alaska27th June 2010

The number for Alaska is completely misleading. In Alaska there is no state income tax, no state sales tax, and they suspended the state gasoline tax (which was the lowest in the country when they suspended it).

The overwhelming majority of tax revenue the state takes in is imposed on oil pumped from the North Slope.

They also fail to take into account the state's Permanent Fund Dividend, which should be offset against the per capita tax revenue if you want to know the net per capita tax. The Permanent Fund Dividend has been between $1,500 and $1,900 the past several years.

Alaskans are far and away the least taxed in the country.

Jamie18th May 2010

There's quite a distribution here with Texans less than half the tax burden of Hawaiians. To what degree is this counterbalanced by local taxes though? Do states assume responsibility for services in high tax states?